Pressurized ball point pen



1966 D. P. KILLEN 3,232,255

PRESSURIZED BALL POINT PEN Filed Nov. 18, 1963 I N VEN TOR.

Dona/a M'Zlezz MMU WM United States Patent 3,282,255 PRESSURIZED BALL POINT PEN Donald P. Killen, 130 Fountain Ave., Pacific Grove, Calif. Filed Nov. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 324,356 3 Claims. (Cl. 120-42.4)

This invention relates to the writing art and particularly to an improvement in ball point pens.

More specifically the invention relates to improvements in mass produced ball point pens wherein the ink or writing fluid flows from the ink containing cartridge to the ball point by gravity. In this type of pen the operation is quite satisfactory when the ball point is downwardly disposed with respect to the reservoir in the cartridge so that the ink may flow from the cartridge to said ball point.

However, under conditions where the pen is held in a horizontally disposed position or in extreme cases in an upside down position, the ink does not flow to the ball point and writing failure occurs.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and eltective attachment for the pen whereby the reservoir within the cartridge may be pressurized in order to continuously urge the ink flow toward the ball point regardless of the position in which the pen may be held.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive pressurizing means whereby a pressure may be selectively exerted against the fluid or relieved therefrom; or a negative pressure induced with respect thereto whereby the flow of the ink under reduced atmospheric pressure as in airplanes may be held back to avoid leakage out of the cartridge and past the ball point, and thus prevent soiling of the clothes of the wearer of the pen.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pressurizing means, as above, which is practical and reliable, and may be added to the standard type of ball point pen without materially increasing the retail cost thereof.

These objects are accomplished by the provision of a pressurizing cap adapted to fit over the end of the conventional barrel and ink cartridge of the pen, with the inclusion of cooperating inlets and outlets and other means in the cap and cartridge whereby the ink in the cartridge may be easily and selectively placed under pressure or the pressure released; or negative pressure established to prevent leakage of ink from the cartridge.

The above and still further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claims, and attached drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the pen, enlarged and foreshortened, showing the cap in position for placing the ink in the cartridge under pressure.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken on a line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevation, mainly in section, taken on a line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and with the cap remaining in the pressure position of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. cap in the pressure release position.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIGS. 3 and 4 but showing the cap in the suction position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, the numeral 1 designates the barrel or body of a conventional ball point pen within which is the usual cartridge 2 holding the supply of writing fluid 3. In carrying out the 3 but showing the 7 invention there is provided a small orifice 4 in the side of the cartridge 3 adjacent its open upper end.

3,282,255 Patented Nov. 1, 1966 A cap 5 has a sliding fit over the upper end of the barrel 1. The upper end of the cap 5 is solid, as at 6, and this solid portion is provided with a bore 7 which receives the upper end of the cartridge 2 with a close frictional substantially air tight running fit as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3.

With such a fit, movement of the cap 5 downwardly on the barrel 1 will cause a compression of the air within the inner end of the bore 7 and the upper end of the ink cartridge 2; such compression tending to press the ink 3 toward the ball point 8 which is conventionally located at the outer end of cartridge 2. With such pressure the ink will continue to flow to the ball point 8 regardless of the position in which the pen is held, thus allowing the pen to write in any such position.

It may be desirable at times to relieve the pressure from the cartridge 3 and to establish negative pressure therein as, for instance, when the user is traveling in an airplane with possible danger of leakage of the ink past the ball point at high altitudes where the atmospheric pressure is low.

To care for these varying conditions there is provided the following described arrangement of parts:

A longitudinally disposed line or groove A is etched into the barrel 1 in vertical alinement with the orifice 4 of the cartridge 2. A similar line or groove B is provided at right angles to the line A substantially midway of the latter.

The pressure within the bore 7 and upper end of cartridge 2 becomes effective when the cap 5 is pressed down over barrel 1 until the bottom edge of the cap is in substantial alinement with line B, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. At this time an orifice 9 provided in the side of cap 5 is normally transversely alined but out of register with the orifice 4 in the side of cartridge 2.

A line or groove C is etched into the side of cap 5 in vertical alinement with the orifice 9. When the cap and cartridge are under compression and the cap is then turned to bring line C into alinement with line A, the orifices 4 and 9 register and the pressure is released.

The cap 5 may then be further turned to carry the orifices 4 and 9 out of register with each other and with the pressure released. Thereupon, the cap may be pulled upward until its bottom edge alines with the upper end of line A as shown in FIG. 5. This, by suction, establishes negative pressure in bore 7 and the upper end of cartridge 2, which negative pressure prevents the flow of ink out of the lower or ball point end 8 of the cartridge, which flow might otherwise occur and soil the clothes of the wearer of the pen when carried at a high altitude.

The cap 5 is bottomed out, as at 10, so that if increased pressure beyond that normally established is desired, it may be attained by pressing the cap 5 further down on the barrel 1, beyond line B.

A protective cap 11 may be disposed over the ball point 8 when the pen is not in use. When the pen is in use this cap 11 may be fitted over a reduced end 12 on the outer end of cap 5 as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. In combination with a barrel and an ink holding cartridge disposed in the barrel, the cartridge having a ball type writing point on its lower end and the upper end of said cartridge being open and projecting beyond the upper end of the barrel, a cap manually slidably and turnably mounted on the upper end of the barrel, the upper portion of the cap being provided with a central closed-top bore receiving the projecting end of the cartridge with a close substantially airtight running fit, the cartridge above the barrel and ink level being provided with an orifice in its side wall, the cap being provided with an orifice in its side Wall adapted to register with the cartridge orifice only when the cap is disposed in a predetermined position on the barrel, and visual locating means on the manually relatively slidable and turnable barrel and cap to indicate When the orifices are out of register so that subsequent depression of the cap creates a pressure in the bore and places the ink in the cartridge under compression, or are in register to release such pressure and relieve the ink of compression, selectively.

2. A combination, as in claim 1, in which said locating means comprises a vertical line and a horizontal line on the barrel, the lines crossing each other, the vertical line on the barrel being longitudinally in line with the cartridge orifice, and a vertical line on the cap longitudinally in line with the cap orifice; the vertical lines on the barrel and cap being circumferentially staggered when the orifices are out of register for depression of the cap to place the bore under pressure and the ink under compression, and said vertical lines on the cap and barrel being alined and the horizontal line on the barrel being substantially in the plane of the bottom of the cap when the orifices are in register to release such pressure and relieve the ink of compression.

3. A combination, as in claim 2, in which the cap is arranged for movement upwardly a predetermined distance from said orifice-registering position to then establish a negative pressure in the bore above the cartridge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 264,974 9/1882 Ullrich 12048 X 941,466 11/1909 Sanford 12042.05 X 1,433,222 10/1922 OHanlon 12048 2,552,506 5/1951 Wahl 120-424 X 2,790,422 4/1957 Grumbach 12042.03 X 2,917,024 12/ 1959 Westmorland 120-47 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,707 1903 Great Britain. 491,861 3/1954 Italy. 520,431 3/1955 Italy.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

HERBERT F. ROSS, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A BARRLE AND AN INK HOLDING CARTRIDGE DISPOSED IN THE BARREL, THE CARTRIDGE HAVING A BALL TYPE WRITING POINT ON ITS LOWER END AND THE UPPER END OF SAID CARTRIDGE BEING OPEN, AND PROJECTING BEYOND THE UPPER END OF THE BARREL, A CAP MANUALLY SLIDABLY AND TURNABLY MOUNTED ON THE UPPER END OF THE BARREL, THE UPPER PORTION OF THE CAP BEING PROVIDED WITH A CENTRAL CLOSED-TOP BORE RECEIVING THE PROJECTING END OF THE CARTRIDGE WITH A CLOSE SUBSTANTIALLY AIRTIGHT RUNNING FIT, THE CARTRIDGE ABOVE THE BARREL AND THE INK LEVEL BEING PROVIDED WITH AN ORIFICE IN ITS SIDE WALL, THE CAP BEING PROVIDED WITH AN ORIFICE IN ITS SIDE WALL ADAPTED TO REGISTER WITH THE CARTRIDGE ORIFICE ONLY WHEN THE CAP IS DISPOSED IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION ON THE BARREL, AND VISUAL LOCATING MEANS IN THE MANUALLY RELATIVELY SLIDABLE AND TURNABLE BARREL AND CAP TO INDICATE WHEN THE ORIFICES ARE OUT OF REGISTER SO THAT SUBSEQUENT DEPRESSION OF THE CAP CREATES A PRESSURE IN THE BORE AND PLACES THE INK IN THE ACRTRIDGE UNDER COMPRESSION, OR ARE IN REGISTER TO RELEASE SUCH PRESSURE AND RELIEVE THE INK OF COMPRESSION, SELECTIVELY. 